Momoko Yuuki drowns her sorrows after a messy breakup and wakes up in a nearly empty café, where she tells her story to the charming owner and his one regular customer, a Buddhist monk. The only thing that makes her feel better is cooking her boyfriend’s favourite chicken curry; a dish she invented for him. This experience helps her find closure, so she has the idea to start ‘The Ex-Boyfriend’s Favourite Recipe Funeral Committee’, where people can heal from bad relationships by making the food that brings them happiness. There’s nothing like homemade chocolate truffles or a hearty plate of hamburger steak to make the world feel a little bit kinder.

This book is so cosy. The three main leads, Momoko, Iori, the handsome café owner, and Hozumi, the Buddhist monk, are all charming and supportive of each other and make a great team. The first few chapters focus on recovering from breakups, but I loved how the story branches out in different directions – from recreating a loved one’s famous recipe, to coming to terms with a neglectful parent. The narration occasionally slides to a halt to focus on the ‘lesson’ of each chapter, which did take me out of the story, but it’s not a major criticism.

My favourite part of this book is the food. This book is dedicated to the therapeutic nature of cooking, with delicious descriptions of taste, flavour, and feeling full and happy. Each chapter ends with a recipe, and now that I’ve finished reading, I can’t wait to make Momoko’s famous ‘breakup’ butter chicken curry.

Book review by Rachel Denham-White

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Saki Kawashiro was born in Tokyo, Japan. An avid reader, after graduating from college she worked as a bookseller in Fukuoka, in Southern Japan. While manager of the store’s cafe she invented a recipe for the café menu – ‘My Ex-Boyfriend’s Favorite Butter Chicken Curry’ – which included a vignette about their breakup, which went viral.

Author Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Before the Coffee Gets Cold) made an appearance at her bookstore and Mr Kawaguchi’s editor inspired Saki to write a novel about her adventures, and she became Saki’s editor. The result is The Ex-Boyfriend’s Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee, which is Saki’s first novel.